


Impossible Dreams

by afreezingnote



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gwen-centric, Handfasting, M/M, Marriage, Multi, No Beta We Die Like Merlin (We Don't Stay Dead), POV Gwen (Merlin), Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Romantic Fluff, casually bamf!Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29226222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afreezingnote/pseuds/afreezingnote
Summary: If she hadn’t been near enough to observe the soft, gold glow flare from beneath Merlin’s eyelashes, she wouldn’t have known he’d called on his magic at all before he pulled his arm back inside, dried his hand on his trousers, and closed the window.“Shouldn’t be long now,” Merlin said.It struck her how the cheerful grin pointed at her now looked just the same on him as it had the day she’d first met him in the stocks. Awash in an odd sense of timelessness, Gwen could hardly believe she would marry the two most powerful men in the five kingdoms that evening.Ten minutes later, the rain stopped.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 86
Collections: Gwen Fest, Merlin Bingo, The Melee Challenge





	Impossible Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> This diverges from canon, but I've left the timeline vague because I may or may not end up commandeering all or parts of this wedding later in another work. 
> 
> I'm triple dipping with this story, including it as a belated Gwen Fest piece, as a completion of the Merlin Fic Book Club Discord Server's Melee Challenge Prompt: Rain + Medium Aquamarine (#60D394), and as a fill for my Merlin Bingo prompt “Holding Hands (A3).”
> 
> Not Beta'd, so any mistakes are all my fault. 
> 
> If it needs to be said, I do not own these characters and make no profit from this work save fun. If this story appears anywhere other than Archive of Our Own, it has been reposted without my consent.
> 
> For fun and prosperity, I recommend listening to this [Merlin OST edit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WndoUMNELXw) as you read.*

Gwen startled awake as crashing thunder announced a storm directly above the keep. She felt Merlin and Arthur jolt on either side of her.

“Gods, that was loud,” Merlin whispered. As he turned over, the midnight bell tolled in the distance.

“Mrmph,” Arthur grumbled. He tucked his hand beneath his pillow but didn’t budge otherwise. “Go back to sleep.”

Gwen lifted her hand to run her fingers through Arthur’s hair. For the hundredth time that evening, she reveled in the thought that she would never again have to sneak into Arthur’s chambers via the servant passageways. Arthur dropped off within moments, sliding easily back into slumber. 

Merlin wriggled closer and threw an arm over her waist. Gwen nestled into him, fitting her head under his chin. “I hope the storm passes in the night.”

“It’ll be fine,” Merlin said. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tighter for a moment. Once they settled, the sound of Arthur’s slow, even breaths and the patter of droplets against the castle lulled them gradually to sleep again.

* * *

Steady rain still fell as morning broke over the citadel.

Gwen threw the shawl she’d worn the night before over her shoulders as she walked to the window. “Should we postpone the ceremony?” she asked, frowning as she peered outside. 

A space had been prepared for the handfasting just inside the woods bordering the grounds. Asking the court attendees to stand in a downpour or tromp through mud wasn’t exactly how they wanted to start their unified reign.

“If the rain persists past midmorning, we may have to,” Arthur said. His voice was clearer than his gaze, directed at her from his spot on the edge of the bed where he’d sat up only moments before.   
  
Like Gwen, Merlin woke quickly and had been headed toward the wardrobe already when she spoke.

“And let a measly storm interfere with our day?” Merlin remarked. “Not a chance.” He tossed his nightshirt toward the laundry basket and changed course without further explanation. 

Gwen admired the newly bared lines of his body—the length of his neck swooping down to his broad shoulders and strong arms, the bold statement of his collarbones, the trail of hair travelling away from his navel—as he came toward her. Behind him, she noticed Arthur’s eyes making a similarly appreciative appraisal. Merlin smiled knowingly as he stopped next to her. 

All three of them were tense with anticipation for their wedding night. Though they’d found pleasure together countless times since the start of their triple courtship, they had always been careful to avoid a bastard babe, royal or otherwise. Throwing caution to the wind had proved a great temptation as the day grew nearer. Arthur had prevailed as the cooler head for once. He had stubbornly insisted they wait as propriety demanded, so for the last week, kissing and sharing a bed were the deepest intimacies they had exchanged.

The snick of the latch in front of her drew Gwen from her thoughts in time to see Merlin stick his hand out of the window.

“Merlin?” Gwen queried. He didn’t see the curious glance she shot him. His eyes had slipped shut, and the tranquil expression he always wore when touching the magic of the world graced his face. “Are you going to—to dissolve the storm?”

“I could,” Merlin said.

Gwen didn’t doubt it.

“But I don’t think I’ll need to,” he continued. “A friendly nudge to get the clouds to move on faster should do the trick.”

If she hadn’t been near enough to observe the soft, gold glow flare from beneath Merlin’s eyelashes, she wouldn’t have known he’d called on his magic at all before he pulled his arm back inside, dried his hand on his trousers, and closed the window.

“Shouldn’t be long now,” Merlin said.

It struck her how the cheerful grin pointed at her now looked just the same on him as it had the day she’d first met him in the stocks. Awash in an odd sense of timelessness, Gwen could hardly believe she would marry the two most powerful men in the five kingdoms that evening.

Ten minutes later, the rain stopped.

* * *

Though the wedding itself would be as private an affair as a king could manage, a certain amount of pomp was required. A procession would lead from the citadel, through the lower town, and into the forest. 

As they dressed, Arthur donned his usual knight garb, appropriate both in combat and court. Clothing was a more complicated matter for Gwen and Merlin though they had some leeway in their choices. True royal finery wouldn’t be mandatory until the coronation that would grant them the titles of Queen and Consort. Still, they had to look the part. Merlin had ceded the particulars to her, citing her expertise. 

So, Gwen decided to color coordinate all their outfits. For herself, Gwen picked a white underdress with belled and ruffled sleeves topped by a corseted dress with a split skirt. Merlin would wear a doublet over a white tunic with black trousers. His doublet and the top layer of her dress, both in Pendragon red, boasted the same pattern of intricate embroidery.

They may not have the benefit of armour in the same way as Arthur, but she imagined they might feel they did while presenting such a cohesive image. She held onto that idea as the wedding party gathered in the late afternoon.

Arthur’s interest in Gwen had sparked years of rumors that had somewhat accustomed her to a higher level of attention and scrutiny. But nothing could have prepared her for the experience of taking measured steps through a sea of onlookers with unwavering stares. Her heart fluttered in her throat. She snuck a peak at Merlin, wondering if he felt the same. If he did, she couldn’t read it in his face or posture. Like Arthur, his stance was open and his stride confident.

In an attempt to stave off rising panic, she focused on small details. They were walking hand-in-hand in the positions they would assume before the court for the rest of their lives: Merlin on Arthur’s right and Gwen to his left, the dauntless hands of the king. Gwen tightened her grip on Arthur’s palm. He squeezed back once in firm reassurance.  
  
There had been scattered puddles remaining in a few dips in the stones of the courtyard, but as they crossed onto the earthen paths of the lower town, the only evidence of the morning’s rain was a slight darkness to the soil. There wasn’t even enough moisture for the dirt to cling to their shoes.

The susurrus of voices increased as they neared the market and crescendoed to a roar when Camelot’s common folk caught sight of the procession. A shower of flower petals fell upon them as the sound of the crowd clarified into claps and shouts.

Gwen couldn’t help but look out at the people she had grown and lived among for her entire life. Under the excitement of witnessing a royal event, she detected a sense of hope. That thought bolstered her, chasing some of her fear away, and she managed to meet the eyes of the people who would soon be hers to protect. She saw familiar faces, and their smiles calmed her even more.

When the baker’s daughter, Millie, waved at her, Gwen waved back, realising that her cheeks had lifted with her own smile.

* * *

The members of the procession filed into their places in the clearing. Beneath their feet, the grass, completely dry, swayed in a light breeze. The wind rustling the leaves on the surrounding trees whispered above the expectant hush.

Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur waited at the edge of the trees for Iseldir’s signal to approach. 

The druid stood behind a pedestal formed from elegantly twined roots raised from the ground. The plate on top of it held [three matching rings](https://64.media.tumblr.com/c0173ac079de7a43155d674ac4dd2056/a3bef61b9fe5ca31-37/s1280x1920/52464b821bd60822c454e5257a81412f2b0ce44e.jpg). Their friends and family as well as the other closest guests would notice Merlin’s added touch: the pedestal stood in the center of an elevated patch of moss grown in the pattern of a triquetra, a tri-pointed symbol, which, like a circle, has no end.

As the sun began its inclination toward the horizon, rays of light fanned through the trees, scattering bright beams on the scene before them. The gold stitching on Iseldir’s green ceremonial robe shone as he lowered his hood.  
  
It was time.   
  
As one, the three of them stepped toward their future together. 

They separated as they approached the pedestal, each of them stopping before one of the points of moss at their feet. Once they met his eyes, Iseldir began to speak.  
  
“We are gathered here today to witness the handfasting of The Once and Future King, The Once and Future Queen, and Emrys. They have come to enter a marriage of equals. Merlin, Arthur, Guinevere, show you are agreed to cleave together in matrimony by joining hands, please.” 

Usually, a handfasting for a marriage of three would begin with each member of the triad [holding onto the wrist of another](https://image.shutterstock.com/image-photo/three-human-join-hands-together-260nw-690884272.jpg), forming a knot. However, the gesture had felt too much like a handshake for Merlin and Gwen’s tastes. So, they worked out a [variant embrace](https://www.reddit.com/r/polyamory/comments/97kv5y/just_felt_like_sharing_we_just_fit_so_well/) that had the fingers of their left hands cupped in a circle with their thumbs tucked in the center.

They had practiced the formation until their motions grew fluid, and their grasp came naturally now. Iseldir began winding the three ropes, made from braided red and gold threads, around their hands and wrists. Each length of rope represented one of the betrothed. Even with the added rope, Iseldir’s fingers betrayed no hesitation as he worked the ties.

“These cords carry the blessings of the earth, sea, and sky,” Iseldir continued. “With them I bind you to the commitments offered on this day. Repeat your vows.”

For a beat, Gwen, Merlin, and Arthur looked at each other. Though she knew the notion was fanciful, Gwen thought for a moment that their breaths had fallen into rhythm along with their words as they simultaneously voiced the oath they had chosen.

 _My dearest loves, I seek to know you,  
_ _and I ask for the wisdom to see you as you are  
_ _and love you as a mystery._

 _I will share my joys and sorrows with you.  
_ _My fate and fortunes are yours.  
_ _I pledge to you my living and my dying,  
_ _each equally in your care._

 _You are my friends, my lovers.  
_ _Grow old and wise with me  
_ _as I will do with you  
_ _from this day and forevermore._

“As a symbol of their commitment, the triad will exchange rings,” Iseldir said. He paused as they each plucked a ring from the plate. 

They had decided not to indulge ostentation with jeweled settings, opting instead for a simpler ornamentation of a raised silver line swirling and crisscrossing on the flat surface of the rings. 

Arthur slipped Gwen’s ring onto her finger first. She turned to Merlin next, pushing the band into place. Finally, Merlin settled the last ring on Arthur’s finger, completing the circle.

“Be-ringed and bound, do you now solemnly swear to uphold these bonds?” Iseldir asked.

They responded with concurrent confirmation. “I do.”

“May you delight in each other’s love for all your years unto passing. You may now seal your union with kisses of promise,” Iseldir said, stepping back as he concluded the ritual.

Merlin’s joyful smile looked as shaky as she felt, but they had both kept tears at bay so far. With his careful public mask in place, Arthur didn’t give away much. But she knew him and saw how maintaining the facade strained him. As practiced in rehearsal, they traded sweet, brief kisses in the same order they’d put on the rings.

Arthur cradled the nape of Merlin’s neck before he could draw back and kissed him again, longer and deeper. He held Merlin in place as he turned to her. Arthur gave a light tug to their bound hands, silently beseeching her closer. Gwen obliged him, and he pressed an equally fervent second kiss to her lips.

Arthur didn’t move far when their mouths parted, resting his temple against her forehead while guiding Merlin in until their heads were all bowed together, touching.

“Stay here a moment,” Arthur whispered. 

The tremor in his voice betrayed his tears before a telling drop of liquid fell on Gwen’s cheek.

Merlin breathed a word in the tongue of Old Religion. “They can’t see or hear us right now,” he explained. “And won’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Take all the time you need.” 

Arthur’s chest shuddered as he inhaled. “I’m the luckiest man in all of Albion. For most of my life, the idea that I might marry for love was impossible, a dream for common folk. To be here today, with a wife and a husband of my choosing…” He broke off, overwhelmed. “I can’t begin to describe what that means to me. I love you both so much.”

“Arthur,” Merlin said, crying freely now. With one word and a wavering tone, he managed to convey all the emotions flooding between them.  
  
“We feel the same,” Gwen said.

“Yes,” Merlin agreed.

She leaned into Arthur’s shoulder and wrapped her free arm around Merlin, embracing them as best she could huddled as they were over the empty pedestal. Safe in their pocket of privacy, she relaxed her control and allowed herself to join her husbands in shedding happy tears.

* * *

Gwen had no notion of how long their stolen moment lasted. 

When they had comforted each other back to calm composure, Arthur shot Merlin an appraising glance. “What did you do?” he asked.

“Erm, stopped time a bit, I think,” Merlin said.

A short laugh, wild with amazement, escaped Arthur. “You’re a wonder,” he said. “Are we ready?”

Gwen glanced between them and nodded. Merlin’s irises glimmered as he released the spell.

Getting them back into the expected routine, Gwen raised her right hand to the cord dangling by her wrist. Iseldir had crafted the tie so that they each could pull at one rope, undoing a knot to let them loose. They each held a cord once the rope fell away, which they draped around their necks for safekeeping. 

Once they’d all stepped in front of the pedestal, they joined hands to turn to their guests. A surge of surety rose within Gwen as she greeted the world for the first time with her husbands, and she knew somehow that this day would not be the last time they accomplished impossible dreams. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is always welcome. If you'd like any additional tags included or spot any errors, please let me know, and I'll update asap.
> 
> I wish I had more good references to underscore my imagined fashion choices, but all I have is [this pic](https://d2fzf9bbqh0om5.cloudfront.net/images/699084/main/vintage-bandage-corset-renaissance-dress-dresses.jpg?1548079468) to illustrate what I meant by "split skirt" at least. I envisioned the details on Gwen's dress and Merlin's doublet to be like Gwen's more intricate corsets from canon.
> 
> I cobbled the dialogue of the handfasting ceremony together from [here](https://www.theasatrucommunity.org/rite-of-marriage-hand-fasting) and [here](https://www.celticdruidtemple.com/celticweddings.html) with some poetic tweaking.
> 
> If you'd like to find me on tumblr, unmarkedinlife is my Merlin blog where you'll find this [attention-grabber graphic](https://unmarkedinlife.tumblr.com/post/642315423159844864/impossible-dreams-pairing-merlinarthurgwen-sfw) that you could reblog, if you were so inclined. I follow from balaszafiros.
> 
> *By fun and prosperity, I mean tears. Join me in crying, please. I went to put on some background noise for concentration, so I searched this up and played it at the same time as a rain-on-stone-sound track. My hopes for focus were waylaid by 15 minutes of being an emotional wreck instead of writing.


End file.
